Forgive Me My Sins Part I: Angel Baby
by stormy.grace
Summary: Hurricane Katrina forces a father/daughter meeting twenty-six years in the making.
1. Prologue

**So, I had this idea about what might happen if Ruby's brunette meatsuit had a twin who crossed paths with Sam and Dean completely by accident. When I started writing it I decided that Twin needed a friend. And since I had a Gen character why not make Friend a Danneel character? So I did, and Friend was supposed to be a supporting character. But she drew me in with her sass, and quickly became my favorite. Of course I wanted to know more about her, but that story was supposed to be about Twin, not Friend. Then I hit a wall with that story, and decided to redo the whole thing after a little break. And what better place to start a story than at the beginning? Because of Friend this story no longer starts with Twin's drug problems (that may not even exist anymore), but with Friend's daddy issues. Hopefully we'll be able to work our way up to Twin, but for now let's go back to 1978 and meet Friend's parents. Groovy? Good. Carry on my wayward readers. ~SG**

Prologue

 _August 11, 1978_

Sixteen-year-old Alexa Monroe checked her reflection in the cheval glass mirror in her bedroom, making sure her crocheted top and bell bottom jeans looked okay. She checked her hair and makeup, stressed over her jewelry and shoes, and finally deemed her appearance perfect.

Once she was ready she climbed out of her bedroom window since her parents thought she was in bed, and they wouldn't have let her go anyway. She was supposed to be grounded. Severely grounded. But she was sixteen and in love, and she didn't care what her parents thought of the man she had fallen in love with. Yes, Richard was thirty-five and her teacher, and she knew their relationship was technically wrong, but it wasn't wrong at all. It was perfectly right.

He wasn't married, he didn't have a family, and he wasn't taking advantage of her or forcing her to do anything she didn't want to do. And even though she was only sixteen she knew what she felt. She wasn't confused. She was in love. She loved Richard, and he loved her. No one had been seduced, no one was being lead on or tricked, no one was being used. It may not look right on paper, or compared to her family's impossible standards, but in her heart she knew it was right. She knew Richard loved her. She knew he would never hurt her.

She reminded herself as she climbed down the lattice on the side of the house that her parents' opinions didn't matter. What did they know about love anyway? They were only together for appearances. They'd gotten married because it was expected, and she knew for a fact that her father was having an affair. Her mother knew too. In fact, Alexa had heard the news _from_ her mother.

So, who were they to judge her love life? At least what she had was real.

She rode her bike to their meeting place at Greenwood Cemetery, and stashed it so she could pick it up later before sneaking into his car. She wanted to greet him with a kiss, but someone might see them. She hated living in such a small town. She had to stay ducked down in the seat until they got out of town and were safely on their way to New Orleans nearly an hour away. It was ridiculous that they had to go through so much trouble just to have a few hours together, but she was willing to do whatever it took to be with him.

"I'm sorry about my parents." she apologized when they got to Lafayette Cemetery where they were safe among the mausoleums. She didn't think anyone else knew, but somehow her parents had found out and they had threatened to have him arrested if he didn't stay away from her. "They don't know everything though. They don't know about the baby."

She was about two months pregnant, and had only recently found out. She'd told him last week during their last trip to the city, and neither one of them were sure how to handle the situation. It shouldn't have happened. None of this should've happened. But it had.

She'd been in his class as a freshman and again as a sophomore, and if it weren't for the fact that he cared so much for his students this never would've happened. But she had suddenly shifted from a well-behaved and quiet student that loved to learn to a troublemaker that acted out just enough to get detention almost every day.

It had been a sudden shift, and after about a month he finally decided to find out what was going on. She didn't want to open up at first, but he had finally cracked her and discovered that home was not somewhere she wanted to be. Her parents weren't exactly abusive, but they put so much pressure on her to be perfect. She came from a well-to-do family, and they wanted her to be the perfect student, the perfect daughter, the perfect whatever she needed to be to keep their polished image squeaky clean. An affair with her English teacher and a pregnancy scandal certainly didn't fit the bill.

But that's not what this was. Her family just didn't understand, and he couldn't really blame them. But this wasn't an affair. He loved her, and he was perfectly happy to take care of her and their baby if only he could.

"I have to tell you something, Lex." he said. "And you're not gonna like it. You may not even believe it."

"Why wouldn't I believe it?" she asked, touching his arm. "You've never lied to me."

"I have actually." he admitted. "I'm not who you think I am."

"What?" she blinked.

"I am, but you don't know the whole story."

She pulled away from him now. Were her parents right about him? They couldn't be.

"Is this a joke?" she asked, trying to laugh it off. He loved to play little tricks on people. That was part of why all his students liked him so much. He was a fun teacher. He was a fun person. This had to be a joke.

He shook his head. "It's not a joke, but just let me explain before you freak out. Okay?"

She nodded, wary of him now. How could he lie to her?

"I'm not Richard Hensley."

"Who are you?"

"Gabriel." he said simply. "My name is Gabriel. I'm an angel. An archangel."

"An archangel." she repeated. He was crazy.

He wasn't surprised that she was skeptical. Why wouldn't she be. So he offered a little bit of proof, snapping his fingers and making a bouquet of flowers appear in his hand. Her eyes went wide, and she backed up another step.

"You know me, Lex." he said. "No matter what my name is or what I am, I'm still the same person you fell in love with. Even though I'm not technically a person."

"An angel." she said, flabbergasted. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really."

She was shocked at the news, but she couldn't help but believe him. She could see in his eyes that he wasn't lying. She had fallen in love with an angel. "I'm having an angel baby?"

He smiled. "Nephilim technically. Half angel, half human. And that's actually why I'm telling you all of this now. I have to leave."

"I'll talk to my parents." she assured him. "I'll make them understand. We'll figure this out. You can't leave me, Rich...or Gabriel. Whatever your name is. You can't leave me. I love you."

"I'm sorry, Lex." he said, looking heart-broken. "I don't want to leave you, but your parents are only part of the problem. See, I booked it out of Heaven decades ago, and the other angels are looking for me. One of 'em saw me last week. They know where I am, Lex, and that's not so bad really, but if they find out you're pregnant? Oh man. I can't let that happen. It's not supposed to happen. It was an accident, but we broke a big rule, and there's no telling what they'll do to you and the baby if they find out. I don't have any choice. I have to leave. To keep you safe."

"So take me with you." she begged, rushing forward and grabbing his arm. "Rich, please. You can't leave me here with my parents. If they find out about I'm pregnant they'll kill me!"

"I can't take you with me, Alexa." he said. "Then we'd have angels and the police after us."

"What am I supposed to do?"

He had no answer for her. "I don't know, but you're strong. You'll be okay. And if you ever truly need help you can call me."

"How?"

"Pray." he said.

"How is praying to God going to get me you?" she asked. "If you're blowing off Heaven..."

"Don't pray to God. Pray to me. Gabriel." he said. "Pray directly to me, and I'm the only one that'll hear it. But only if you really need to. I can't come just because you need a hug. I hate it, but I can't."

She nodded. She didn't like it either, but she understood what he was saying. She understood why he had to leave her. She just didn't want him to. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know yet, but even if I did it probably wouldn't be a good idea for you to know." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry I have to leave you like this, but you'll be okay. I know you will. Be strong for me, okay?"

She sniffed and nodded. "Okay. I will. I'll try anyway. I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her, made sure no angel could find her by branding her ribs, and then he was gone.

Alexa fell back against one of the mausoleums in the cemetery and burst into tears, sliding to the ground and drawing her knees to her chest. She buried her face and didn't worry about anyone seeing her now that Rich...Gabriel was gone. They would only think she was grieving the loss of a loved one. And that's exactly what she was doing, but it was worse because he wasn't dead. He was just gone.

When she was all cried out she found a bathroom to wash her face in, and hitched a ride back to Greenwood in Slidell. At one point she wondered what would happen if she grabbed the wheel and steered the car right off the bridge and into Lake Pontchartrain, but she'd promised Gabriel she would be strong. Drowning herself and an innocent woman in a shallow lake because she had a broken heart wasn't being strong. Going home to face her parents was being strong, so that's exactly what she did.

 **So? What do we think? Do we like? Is anyone surprised that I fell in love with Friend when Gabriel's her dad? Actually I fell in love with her way before I knew who her dad was. But still. Can you blame me? No. You can't. And just a heads up. This will be a short story. Only three chapters plus this prologue, but I've been told it ends well, and (hopefully) it will be a series. I already know where I want the whole thing to end, and hopefully I'll be able to get there. And I don't actually live in the NOLA area. Never even been there unfortunately, so I'm hoping the few details I provide are at least close enough. And in case you're wondering, picture an American version of Elizabeth Hurley as Alexa. A sixteen-year-old American version for this particular part of the story. Should I have mentioned that before? Oh well. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed the prologue. Feel free to review because I do love them oh so much, and stay tuned for Chapter 1. Probably coming tomorrow. See you soon, loves! ~SG**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello again! I see you enjoyed the prologue enough to come back for more. Yay! I hope you continue to enjoy, and coming back. I do so love sharing these stories I have so much fun creating with you wonderful people! ~SG**

Chapter 1

 _August 20, 2005_

She had gone home that night after Gabriel left, and had told her parents that she was pregnant. Somehow she managed to convince them not to send the police after him, and on March 18, 1979 she named their baby after him. Sort of.

The name she had known him by was Richard Hensley, and she named her daughter Hensley in honor of her father. Her middle name was Wynette because Tammy Wynette was Alexa's favorite singer. She called her Wynette because calling her by her first name was too painful.

When her parents tried to make her give the baby up she ran away to New Orleans, and she never once prayed to Gabriel because she never needed to. She managed to carve out a nice little life for herself and Wynette, who eventually started going by Wren because she couldn't pronounce Wynette when she was learning how to talk. It came out as Wrenette, so Alexa just shortened it to Wren, and prayed to no one in particular that her little girl would never ask questions about her father that her mother couldn't answer.

She'd managed to find a job as a live-in maid to a wealthy family that was happy to help take care of both her and they baby. They provided room and board, paid her well, and happily let her join them for meals and family outings. They sent her to school during the week since she was only sixteen, taking care of the baby for her while she was gone, and she cleaned on weekends. Their son, who was a student at Tulane, had a crush on her and even offered to marry her, but she turned him down. She appreciated what he was trying to do, and she liked him fine, but her heart still belonged to Gabriel. She wouldn't have felt right about marrying this boy no matter how nice he was or how much she liked him.

When she graduated from high school she decided to skip college and moved out on her own with Wren. She took a job as a maid at the Crescent Inn and eventually worked her way up to manager. She managed to find a nice house for the two of them, and everything was wonderful. Until now.

Twenty-six years after her entire life had been turned upside down she found herself trying desperately to find somewhere for her and Wren to seek refuge from the impending Hurricane Katrina.

The weather was terrible. Katrina was certainly not the first hurricane Alexa had encountered having lived her entire forty-three years in and around New Orleans, but this one was going to be bad. Some of her neighbors thought she was crazy for wanting to evacuate because they didn't think it would really be as bad as the news was saying, but she didn't want to take a chance this time. If the storm destroyed her home and the inn that was fine. She didn't care if she lost all of her material possessions, but at least she would still be alive and she would still have her daughter. But there was no guarantee of that unless they could get out of town.

And they had no where to go. She knew her parents were staying with some relatives in Georgia, but there was no way they would welcome her, the one that had soiled the family name, and the daughter she'd had at sixteen. Maybe if Gabriel had been inhabiting someone that wasn't her thirty-five-year-old English teacher. Not that Wren's father really made any difference. She could've gotten knocked up by a sixteen-year-old kid after homecoming and her family would still act like she had committed the worst mutiny in history. And they still would've tried to force her to give Wren up.

"Gabriel." she whispered to herself while stressing about where they would stay. Hotels were full, and family was never an option. But maybe Gabriel could help. All she had to do was pray.

Wren was busy packing even though they still had nowhere to go, and Alexa shut herself in her bedroom so she could have some privacy. She sat down on her bed, took a deep breath, and whispered her prayer. "Gabriel, it's Alexa. You said if I ever truly needed help I could pray to you. I don't know where you are, but I could sure use some help right now."

She knew he wouldn't be able to find her because of the markings on her ribs that she'd never been able to explain to doctors the few times she had needed chest x-rays, so she told him exactly where to find her and almost screamed when she looked up and found him standing right in front of her. He looked exactly the same. He hadn't switched vessels, and he hadn't aged a second in over twenty-six years. Now she was the one that appeared to be older.

"Richard." she breathed even though she knew that wasn't his real name.

He smiled softly at her. "Hello Alexa."

In seconds she was across the room and in his arms. In forty-three years he was the only man she'd ever loved. Even if he wasn't actually a man. She'd hardly even considered dating another man in the last twenty-six years because she'd been hoping somehow Gabriel would be able to find a way to come back to her. Apparently all she had needed was a Category 5 hurricane.

"I'm happy to see you too, Lex, but I'm pretty sure I told you I couldn't come just because you needed a hug." He joked, enjoying having her in his arms again as the weather beat against the house.

She smiled and stepped back, pulling herself out of his embrace. "I didn't need a hug."

Something crashed against the side of the house, causing her to jump, and she amended her statement. "Okay." she admitted. "Maybe I do need a hug, but that's not why I prayed. I don't want to risk staying here through this storm, but we don't have anywhere else to go. I can't find a hotel room that we can afford, and my family pretty much disowned me when I refused..." She broke off, realizing what she had been about to say.

"When you refused to give up the baby?" he guessed. He had always imagined that her parents would have tried to get her to, but he knew her well enough to know she never would. "Girl or boy?"

"Girl." Alexa said, grinning as she thought about her daughter. Their daughter. "Hensley Wynette."

"You named her after me and Tammy."

"Are you surprised?"

Gabriel smiled. "Not a bit."

"She goes by Wren." Alexa said. "She couldn't say Wynette when she was little. She's beautiful, and smart, and she's got such a big heart."

"Just like her mother."

"And so much sass."

"Which clearly came from me." He'd thought about her, not knowing she was a her, ever since he'd left. He wanted to meet her. He wanted to meet her so badly. He wanted to see her, talk to her, get to know her, hug her. But that was all up to Alexa. He cleared his throat, reminding himself that he wasn't here for a social call. She had called him for a reason. "So, uh, how can I help with whatever you need help with? You mentioned something about needing somewhere to hunker down until the storm passes?"

Alexa nodded. "We don't have anywhere to go, and we can't stay here. I was hoping you might be able to help in some way."

Gabriel smiled. "Sure I can. I've got a couple of guest rooms up in Nashville. You're more than welcome to stay however long you need. As long as that's okay with you. I don't know if you want me involved with the kid since I ditched you."

"You didn't ditch me. I understand why you had to leave." Alexa assured him. "And the kid is twenty-six years old now. I have no say in whether you're involved with her or not. It's up to her."

"Does she know about me?" he asked curiously.

"No. Not much." Alexa said. "She knows you were my teacher, and about how we fell in love, and that you had to leave because my parents found out about us. I didn't know how to explain anything else."

"Does she know my name?"

"No. She never asked for a name, so I never gave her one."

Gabriel pursed his lips and nodded. "Makes sense. So, I'll see ya in Music City in a few days?"

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

He waved her worry away. "Please. Anything for family, right?"

"That's a foreign concept in my family." Alexa reminded him.

"Mine too, but guess what." he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Sometimes you get to chose your own family. And unless you say otherwise, or she does, you and the kid are my family, Lex."

She smiled. "Then we'll be there in a couple days."

"Great." He gave her the address and another hug, and was gone before she could thank him.

Alexa had no idea how he felt about her now, but she was still sorting out her feelings about seeing him again after all these years when Wren knocked on the door. She took a moment to compose herself and then invited her daughter in. "What is it, Angel?"

"Do we have any idea where we're going yet?" Wren asked, wondering what the odd expression on her mother's face was.

Alexa smiled. "Yeah. I just got off the phone with an old friend of mine, Richard Hensley. I haven't seen him in about twenty years, but he said we're more than welcome to stay with him up in Nashville as long as we need to."

"Hensley?" Wren said recognizing her own name as soon as the word had left her mother's lips.

Alexa hadn't even realized she said his name. She wanted to clap her hand over her mouth at her mistake, but then she would have to explain and she wasn't ready to explain to her daughter why she called her Angel and Angel Baby.

"Any relation?" Wren asked. It couldn't be a coincidence that her first name and this man's last name were the same. Could he be her father? The timeline fit, and she knew her mother had loved her father and that he had loved her. It made sense that she would be named after him even if he wasn't around.

"No." Alexa lied. She couldn't tell Wren he was her father without having to explain that he was an angel. She would notice that he didn't look old enough when she met him.

"Well, that can't be a coincidence." Wren pressed.

"It's not." Alexa said. "We were good friends in school. I liked his name."

She knew it was a crappy explanation.

Wren didn't buy it, but she didn't push any further. Apparently her mother didn't want to tell her something. Of course she wanted to know what it was, and why her mother didn't want to share, but she knew she wouldn't get anything by force. Or by begging. She'd just have to be patient and wait for the puzzle pieces to fall into place.

 **So, now we know Friend's name. Fun Fact: While I was editing this just now I actually had to go and make sure Tammy Wynette was actually active in the late 70s. I was pretty sure I had my timeline right, but sometimes I don't, and if I had been wrong I would've had to change Wren's name. Or at least the story behind it, and I would've had to change so many other parts of the story. Plus I would've been very disappointed because I really love her name and the story behind it. Fun Fact #2: Wren's full name was originally Tabitha Wren Monroe. I don't remember what made me change it, but personally I'm glad I did. So, what do y'all think? Is this father/doesn't-know-she's-his-daughter bonding going to be just as big a disaster as Katrina? ~SG**


	3. Chapter 2

**Oh goody! You came back! I'm so happy! Well, I won't keep you from the story. Enjoy. ~SG**

Chapter 2

Seeing Alexa for the first time in nearly three decades had shaken him up, and now he was nervous about seeing her again. He was even more nervous about meeting Wren. Because of that nervousness he'd kept himself busy yesterday making sure the house was spotless. He'd made sure the two guest bedroom were ready, and that the kitchen and bathroom were stocked properly, and he was sitting nervously on the front porch waiting for them while his Jack Russell/Beagle mix ran around the yard barking excitedly when a charcoal gray Dodge Charger towing a U-haul trailer pulled into the driveway.

Cash was excited to have company in general, but Gabriel was more interested in the girl that emerged from the driver's side of the Charger. _No_ , he reminded himself. She was twenty-six. She wasn't a girl anymore. She was a woman. _A beautiful woman_ , he thought as he watched her get out of the car and stretch her legs from the long drive.

She wore a tight pair of jean shorts and a tight black tank top that showed off an inch or so of her belly. Actually, that section of skin might be too low to be considered her belly. Her shorts weren't exactly hugging her waist. She was barefoot, and her curly auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses, but he found himself hoping they were blue like her mother's. She was about five and a half feet tall, maybe a little over, and had long legs and a figure that probably drove the boys crazy. When she pushed her sunglasses up on her head he could see that she favored her mother, but there was a little bit of him in her face as well. Or Richard anyway. And her eyes were brown. Where had her coloring come from?

Alexa had brown hair and blue eyes. So did both of her parents, Callahan and Josephine Monroe. And Richard had blonde hair and hazel eyes. Wren's red and brown combination must have come from further back in the family. Or maybe she dyed her hair. It didn't really matter. No matter what color combination she possessed she was gorgeous, and he imagined that if he'd been around when she was growing up he'd have had to beat the boys off with a stick.

She smiled at him as her mother got out of the passenger side. "Hi."

Gabriel had to remind himself that she was talking to him, and not someone that had randomly appeared behind him. He had forced himself not to turn around and check just to make sure. Angels were tricky like that. Instead he smiled back. "Hi. You must be Wren."

"Oh, I'm so glad you didn't just call me Wynette." she said as she walked over, still barefoot.

Gabriel smiled, noting that she pronounced it Win-nette instead of Why-nette, and was glad Alexa had let him know which of his names she had given their daughter as he shook her hand. "Your mom told me you're not so crazy about it. I'm Richard, but you probably already knew that. You can call me Rich if you want. Your mom does."

Alexa greeted him with a hug as Wren crouched to pet the dog that was energetically demanding her attention.

"That's Cash." Gabriel informed them. "My vicious attack dog."

"Hi Cash." Wren said in a voice most people reserved for dogs and babies, scratching the excited dog between the ears as he tried to climb into her lap and knocked her over on her butt in the grass. She was focusing on the dog because Gabriel wasn't the only one who had noticed the faint resemblance. He was far too young to be her father, but maybe an uncle or a cousin? Maybe even a half brother. Her father would be about sixty by now. She could have half siblings in their mid-thirties.

"Thanks again for letting us stay here, Rich." Alexa said, drawing her daughter's attention away from the deadly guard dog greeting her with kisses.

Wren looked at the house. It was a little Craftsman style house, all beige and brown, nothing fancy, but pretty just the same. A little covered porch that stretched across the front of the house with a couple of rocking chairs, a rather small front yard, and a fenced-in back yard. It wasn't home, but judging by the outside it would do for a little while. And maybe they'd be here long enough for her to figure out how she was related to Rich.

No matter what her mother said she knew she had to be related to him somehow. There wasn't a strong resemblance. In fact, it was barely there at all, but there was enough of one that she could see it if she looked close enough. And then there was the name. She didn't think he was quite old enough to have gone to high school with her mom, but they certainly could have grown up together in Slidell. She hadn't had a chance yet, but she planned to do a little research on the Hensley family and see if she could figure this little mystery out. But first they needed to get settled into their temporary home. Then she could start snooping.

Gabriel helped them get their bags inside and showed them to their rooms, thinking that Wren didn't seem all that interested in him. Maybe she was shy. But Alexa had said she was sassy, something she'd definitely gotten from him. He doubted that was all she'd inherited from him, and he certainly wasn't shy. Never had been. He'd never been insecure either, but the thought that his daughter didn't like him sure was bringing out that unpleasant quality. And it didn't matter that she didn't know who he was. Father or not he wanted her to like him. Maybe she just needed some time to get to know him a little.

As he left them to get settled he wondered if it was too much to hope that Wren would take it as well as Alexa had if she found out the whole truth.

He remembered that last night perfectly. She'd been a little freaked out at first, but she'd quickly realized that he was serious. Once she had she'd accepted everything he'd said pretty easily. Even the part about having to leave. She hadn't liked it at all, and he still wished he could've taken her with him when he rejoined the pagans, but he didn't think that would've gone over so well. Kali certainly wouldn't have approved, and that might've blown his cover.

He could only hope Wren took after her mother when it came to reacting to bombshells being dropped on her if she ever had to find out the truth about who he was and what she was.

 **Aw! Isn't Gabriel adorable as a nervous dad? He wants his little girl to like him so badly, but he can't tell her who he is. I'll be posting the final chapter tomorrow, so we'll see how it all works out. Well, you'll see. Obviously I already know. And because I already know I think you'll like it, but I guess we'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see about that too. And yes, I know this was a short story, but it didn't feel right adding more even though I tried. I'm already working on the sequel, which is also a prequel, aka a big hunk of the story is a flashback, so hopefully I can start posting it soon. And then I think (not sure yet) the next one will probably be introducing Twin. If so it'll also be where the story gets AU. But you don't care about that right now, do you? You're still waiting for the last chapter of Angel Baby, and whatever I decided to call the next one. Anyway, I'm gonna let y'all get back to your lives now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you again tomorrow to see what happens between Gabriel and Wren! Kisses! ~SG**


	4. Chapter 3

**And here we have it. The last chapter. And now I have Rich and Jensen in my singing "It's the last chapter!". Lol. Enjoy! ~SG**

Chapter 3

"How about that weather?" Gabriel said as he stepped out onto the porch, and found Wren sitting in one of the rocking chairs, rocking gently with her eyes closed. The hurricane was hitting New Orleans hard, and it was causing thunder storms all the way up in Nashville. She and Alexa had been here for a few days now, and she was sitting there enjoying the storm with her eyes closed, seemingly at home.

She still hadn't warmed up to him very much, but the dog on the other hand, who easily launched himself into her lap and curled up as if he belonged there, was her new best friend.

"Traitor." he muttered to the dog as he sat down in the other chair.

"I used to be afraid of thunder storms." she said, keeping her eyes closed and remaining relaxed as she absently petted the dog. "When I was little. I used to hide in my closet. Now they're kind of soothing."

"Probably not so soothing in New Orleans right now." he guessed. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

He knew she'd stayed up late last night, and had risen early this morning. He also knew that she didn't need as much sleep as the average human since she wasn't an average human. But as far as he could tell she had no idea what she was, and that meant he had to act like he didn't know either.

"Some." she said. The rain pounded on the roof, and the wind whipped underneath to throw her hair in her face. She pushed it back, thinking maybe she should have put it in a bun instead of a ponytail. "I've never needed a ton of sleep for some reason."

"I'm the same way." he said. Actually he didn't need any sleep at all, but he couldn't tell her that just yet.

They sat in silence for a moment listening to the storm, and then she finally spoke up, initiating conversation with him for the first time other than when she had said hi when she first arrived. "Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away." he said, spreading his hands. "I'm an open book."

She wasn't sure if she should, but she'd found some things that just weren't adding up and she wanted answers. So, even though she knew it sounded crazy, she looked him directly in the eye and asked him point blank, "Are you my father?"

He gave her a look that said that was ridiculous. "Do I look old enough to be your father?"

"No." she said, ignoring the look on his face. "But we _are_ related somehow."

"What makes you think that?"

"There's a tiny bit of a resemblance between us." she replied. "Not much, but just enough. And your last name is my first name. When I asked about it the other day Mama told me that it wasn't a coincidence, that you two were good friends in school and she liked your last name, but you're what? Thirty-five?"

Gabriel nodded. "There abouts." If thirty-five was anywhere near relative to billions of years.

"Mama's forty-three." she said. "That's an eight-year difference. There's no way you went to school with her. I'd buy that you both grew up in Slidell, but I did a little research last night. There was never a Hensley family in Slidell as far as I can tell. But there was a Richard Hensley that worked as a high school English teacher about the same time my mother was in high school. Her English teacher and my father are the same person, and he was about thirty-five when she got pregnant with me. He'd be about sixty-one now.

"So I thought maybe we're cousins or something, but I found a picture of Richard Hensley, the English teacher that knocked my mom up and left, and he looks _exactly_ like you. Not in the way a father and son might. More like identical twins.

"And the look on your face jut then when I said he knocked my mom up and left? That defensive look? You wanted to correct me, explain that that's not what happened."

"How do you know I'm not wanting to defend my father? Or an uncle or older brother?" he asked. It was more curiosity than challenge. Clearly Alexa hadn't been over-exaggerating when she'd said the kid was smart.

"Because I'm pretty good at reading people." she said. "It comes in handy as a social worker, and that? That was self-defense. You wanted to defend your own actions."

Gabriel simply nodded. She'd figured it all out on her own. Or at least she'd figured out a big chunk of it. He was impressed. Most people would keep digging, thinking there was no way he could be her father, or give up when they couldn't find any other explanation. But not Wren. She knew there was something going on here.

They sat in silence again, him looking out at the storm, her looking at him, his dog perfectly at home in her lap.

"You were testing me." he said, remembering what Alexa had told him about what Wren knew about her father. She knew the truth. Part of it anyway. She knew he hadn't just knocked her mother up and left. She was trying to see if it was him or not, and he'd just let the cat out of the bag.

"Clearly I don't know everything." she said. "But yeah. I know you loved her, and that you had to leave because of my grandparents. But I'm obviously missing one very big piece of the puzzle. Is this some kind of Benjamin Button thing? Because you don't look any older now than in that picture I found."

He huffed in amusement at that, and sobered quickly. "You really wanna know the truth?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"You should probably ask your mother." he said, stalling.

"Whatever piece of the puzzle I'm missing has to do with you, not her." she countered. "So I'm asking you."

"Fair enough." he conceded, and sighed. "First of all, in case you still have any doubts, yes. I am your father."

"How?"

"You're twenty-six, right." he said. "You should know about the birds and the bees by now."

Her expression told him this was not the time for jokes. Of course she knew how he was her father. What she didn't know was how he hadn't aged any since fathering her.

"I'm an angel."

"I have a feeling that's not a figurative statement." she said, feeling a little uneasy. She knew most people would think he was crazy. They wouldn't believe for a minute that he was an angel, but how else would that picture make sense? And it's not like he was trying to convince her that he was a clone or something. She knew a lot of people wouldn't believe angel's even existed, but for her it was perfectly believable. She wasn't a very religious person, but that didn't mean she didn't have faith. She had no problem believing angels were real. The weird part was that she was apparently talking to one. One who happened to be her father.

"Very literal." he confirmed. "My real name is Gabriel."

"Gabriel." she repeated. "As in the archangel?"

He tilted his head in assent. "The one and only."

"So that means I'm...half angel?"

"You're a nephilim." he supplied. "Half angel, half human, technically an abomination. The whole human/angel thing's a big no-no upstairs. Not really sure why, but Dad said so, and most of my brothers and sisters aren't capable of doing anything but follow orders."

"Is that why you had to leave?" she asked. "Other than my grandparents threatening to call the police. Because you broke the rules?"

"Actually, your grandfather threatened to shoot me, but basically." he confirmed. "They were looking for me because I ditched Heaven. Couldn't stand the family drama anymore. Ran into one of my brothers in New Orleans one night, and he recognized me. I could've handled being dragged back to Heaven against my will, and I could've handled being thrown in prison or whatever they would've done to me if they'd found out about you, but I had to leave because I couldn't stand the thought of what they might do to you and your mom if they found out. This sort of thing happens a lot more than we know, and everyone overlooks it as long as they don't have any proof. But as soon as they're aware of the existence of a nephilim everyone's in a frenzy. Nephilim have been killed before for simply existing. They're obviously not the ones to blame, but angels and their rules. It's ridiculous. I couldn't let anything happen to you."

"So you left to protect me."

"Broke my heart to have to leave your mom. And you." he said. "Especially with that family of hers. I don't know if you've ever met them or not, but your grandparents are sticklers for rules and appearances. They'd fit right in with my family in that sense. But your mom and I, we like to think for ourselves. And I gotta say I'm not surprised you did, but I'm glad you both turned out okay."

"We turned out just fine." she assured him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't around while you were growing up." he apologized as the storm began to wind down.

Wren smiled softly. "It's not your fault. You're not gonna disappear again when we go back to New Orleans, are you?"

"Not if you don't want me too." he promised. "We'll have to be careful about it, but I do want to be a part of your life if you want me to be. I won't skip out on you like my dad did unless I have no choice."

She smiled. "Good to know."

"You're handling all this pretty well." he said. "Better than your mom did, and she handled it a lot better than I thought she would."

"Well, the circumstances are a little different." she said. "In a way she was afraid for her life from what I understand. I just want to know the truth."

"And you believe all this?" he asked. "No questions, no doubts?"

"I know when someone's lying to me." she reminded him. "I can read people, remember?"

"And you don't think I'm lying?"

"Nope." she said. "I don't even think you're crazy. And my nickname makes a hell of a lot more sense now."

"Wren?" he asked. "I thought that was because you couldn't say your name right."

She nodded. "It is, but that's not the nickname I was talking about. Mama calls me Angel Baby. I used to think it was because we watched a lot of _Touched By An Angel_. Tess was her favorite, and you know, the whole me and Monica both have red hair thing. But she always called me Angel before we started watching the show. She just added the Baby part because of it. But now I guess it's because I am an angel baby."

Gabriel smiled. "And you're really not freaked out by any of this?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's gonna take a little time to really understand it and let it all sink in, but at least my dad's an angel and not like a drug dealer or a murderer or something." she said. "And it's kind of cool, you know? Most people are like half German or something. Half angel is _much_ cooler. Besides, I always knew I was different. I just didn't know why. Now I do. I can't really tell anyone, but at least I know there's not like something wrong with me."

"Being an angel's not all it's cracked up to be, kid." Gabriel said. " _Touched By An Angel_ might be a good show, but Tess and Monica aren't real."

"You don't seem so bad."

"I'm not like most angels." he said. "And really the rest of 'em aren't so bad. They just don't know any better. They don't know how to think for themselves. I guess Dad didn't think us angels needed quite as much free will as humans. Or maybe he just didn't think about it when he made us. I don't know."

"You can't ask Him?"

Gabriel laughed at that. "Up until now were you able to ask me anything?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Because I didn't know who you were."

"And why was that?"

"Because you weren't there."

"Exactly." he said. "Hate to break it to you, kid, but God skipped out on Heaven just like I did. Probably for the same reason too. So, no, I can't ask Him why He made angels the way He did."

"Well, that sucks."

"Well, hey. At least one of us can resolve our daddy issues." he said cheerfully. "So. What do you wanna know?"

Wren thought for a moment. "Everything."

 **Awww! Isn't that sweet? I really do think Gabriel would make a great dad, and I'm hoping I have an opportunity to write more of their relationship. I'm not sure if it'll happen, but maybe I can come up with something. But now we move on to the next story, a trip down Memory Lane. Unfortunately you still have to wait a little while before you can read it. I have to go back and make a few adjustments, and finish the last couple of chapters, but hopefully that won't take too much longer. And it will be a longer story than this one. I think I've got five or six chapters already, and there's still one or two I need to write. So, I'll let y'all get back to whatever I interrupted, and I'll get back to work! See ya around the playground! ~SG**


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